The Two Candidates for Silverbridge
On his arrival in London Ferdinand Lopez found a letter waiting for
him from the Duchess. This came into his hand immediately on his
reaching the rooms in Belgrave Mansions, and was of course the first
object of his care. "That contains my fate," he said to his wife,
putting his hand down upon the letter. He had talked to her much of
the chance that had come in his way, and had shown himself to be very
ambitious of the honour offered to him. She of course had sympathised
with him, and was willing to think all good things both of the
Duchess and of the Duke, if they would between them put her husband
into Parliament. He paused a moment, still holding the letter under
his hand. "You would hardly think that I should be such a coward that
I don't like to open it," he said.
"You've got to do it."
"Unless I make you do it for me," he said, holding out the letter to
her. "You will have to learn how weak I am. When I am really anxious
I become like a child."
"I do not think you are ever weak," she said, caressing him. "If
there were a thing to be done you would do it at once. But I'll open
it if you like." Then he tore off the envelope with an air of comic
importance and stood for a few minutes while he read it.
"What I first perceive is that there has been a row about it," he
said.
"A row about it! What sort of a row?"
"My dear friend the Duchess has not quite hit it off with my less
dear friend the Duke."
"She does not say so?"
"Oh dear, no! My friend the Duchess is much too discreet for
that;--but I can see that it has been so."
"Are you to be the new member? If that is arranged I don't care a bit
about the Duke and Duchess."
"These things do not settle themselves quite so easily as that. I am
not to have the seat at any rate without fighting for it. There's the
letter."
The Duchess's letter to her new adherent shall be given, but it must
first be understood that many different ideas had passed through the
writer's mind between the writing of the letter and the order given
by the Prime Minister to his wife concerning the borough. She of
course became aware at once that Mr. Lopez must be informed that she
could not do for him what she had suggested that she would do. But
there was no necessity of writing at the instant. Mr. Grey had not
yet vacated the seat, and Mr. Lopez was away on his travels. The
month of January was passed in comparative quiet at the Castle, and
during that time it became known at Silverbridge that the election
would be open. The Duke would not even make a suggestion, and would
neither express, nor feel, resentment should a member be returned
altogether hostile to his Ministry. By degrees the Duchess accustomed
herself to this condition of affairs, and as the consternation caused
by her husband's very imperious conduct wore off, she began to ask
herself whether even yet she need quite give up the game. She could
not make a Member of Parliament altogether out of her own hand,
as she had once fondly hoped she might do; but still she might do
something. She would in nothing disobey her husband, but if Mr.
Lopez were to stand for Silverbridge, it could not but be known in
the borough that Mr. Lopez was her friend. Therefore she wrote the
following letter:--
Gatherum, -- January, 18--.
MY DEAR MR. LOPEZ,
I remember that you said that you would be home at this
time, and therefore I write to you about the borough.
Things are changed since you went away, and, I fear, not
changed for your advantage.
We understand that Mr. Grey will apply for the Chiltern
Hundreds at the end of March, and that the election will
take place in April. No candidate will appear as favoured
from hence. We used to run a favourite, and our favourite
would sometimes win,--would sometimes even have a walk
over; but those good times are gone. All the good times
are going, I think. There is no reason that I know why you
should not stand as well as any one else. You can be early
in the field;--because it is only now known that there
will be no Gatherum interest. And I fancy it has already
leaked out that you would have been the favourite if there
had been a favourite;--which might be beneficial.
I need hardly say that I do not wish my name to be
mentioned in the matter.
Sincerely yours,
GLENCORA OMNIUM.
Sprugeon, the ironmonger, would, I do not doubt, be proud
to nominate you.
"I don't understand much about it," said Emily.
"I dare say not. It is not meant that any novice should understand
much about it. Of course you will not mention her Grace's letter."
"Certainly not."
"She intends to do the very best she can for me. I have no doubt that
some understrapper from the Castle has had some communication with
Mr. Sprugeon. The fact is that the Duke won't be seen in it, but that
the Duchess does not mean that the borough shall quite slip through
their fingers."
"Shall you try it?"
"If I do I must send an agent down to see Mr. Sprugeon on the sly,
and the sooner I do so the better. I wonder what your father will say
about it?"
"He is an old Conservative."
"But would he not like his son-in-law to be in Parliament?"
"I don't know that he would care about it very much. He seems always
to laugh at people who want to get into Parliament. But if you have
set your heart upon it, Ferdinand--"
"I have not set my heart on spending a great deal of money. When I
first thought of Silverbridge the expense would have been almost
nothing. It would have been a walk over, as the Duchess calls it. But
now there will certainly be a contest."
"Give it up if you cannot afford it."
"Nothing venture nothing have. You don't think your father would help
me in doing it? It would add almost as much to your position as to
mine." Emily shook her head. She had always heard her father ridicule
the folly of men who spent more than they could afford in the vanity
of writing two letters after their name, and she now explained that
it had always been so with him. "You would not mind asking him," he
said.
"I will ask him if you wish it, certainly." Ever since their marriage
he had been teaching her,--intentionally teaching her,--that it would
be the duty of both of them to get all they could from her father.
She had learned the lesson, but it had been very distasteful to her.
It had not induced her to think ill of her husband. She was too much
engrossed with him, too much in love with him for that. But she was
beginning to feel that the world in general was hard and greedy
and uncomfortable. If it was proper that a father should give his
daughter money when she was married, why did not her father do so
without waiting to be asked? And yet, if he were unwilling to do so,
would it not be better to leave him to his pleasure in the matter?
But now she began to perceive that her father was to be regarded as
a milch cow, and that she was to be the dairy-maid. Her husband at
times would become terribly anxious on the subject. On receiving
the promise of £3000 he had been elated, but since that he had
continually talked of what more her father ought to do for them.
"Perhaps I had better take the bull by the horns," he said, "and do
it myself. Then I shall find out whether he really has our interest
at heart, or whether he looks on you as a stranger because you've
gone away from him."
"I don't think he will look upon me as a stranger."
"We'll see," said Lopez.
It was not long before he made the experiment. He had called himself
a coward as to the opening of the Duchess's letter, but he had
in truth always courage for perils of this nature. On the day of
their arrival they dined with Mr. Wharton in Manchester Square, and
certainly the old man had received his daughter with great delight.
He had been courteous also to Lopez, and Emily, amidst the pleasure
of his welcome, had forgotten some of her troubles. The three were
alone together, and when Emily had asked after her brother, Mr.
Wharton had laughed and said that Everett was an ass. "You have not
quarrelled with him?" she said. He ridiculed the idea of any quarrel,
but again said that Everett was an ass.
After dinner Mr. Wharton and Lopez were left together, as the old
man, whether alone or in company, always sat for an hour sipping
port wine after the manner of his forefathers. Lopez had already
determined that he would not let the opportunity escape him, and
began his attack at once. "I have been invited, sir," he said with
his sweetest smile, "to stand for Silverbridge."
"You too!" said Mr. Wharton. But, though there was a certain amount
of satire in the exclamation, it had been good-humoured satire.
"Yes, sir. We all get bit sooner or later, I suppose."
"I never was bit."
"Your sagacity and philosophy have been the wonder of the world, sir.
There can be no doubt that in my profession a seat in the House would
be of the greatest possible advantage to me. It enables a man to do a
great many things which he could not touch without it."
"It may be so. I don't know anything about it."
"And then it is a great honour."
"That depends on how you get it, and how you use it;--very much also
on whether you are fit for it."
"I shall get it honestly if I do get it. I hope I may use it well.
And as for my fitness, I must leave that to be ascertained when I am
there. I am sorry to say there will probably be a contest."
"I suppose so. A seat in Parliament without a contest does not drop
into every young man's mouth."
"It very nearly dropped into mine." Then he told his father-in-law
almost all the particulars of the offer which had been made him,
and of the manner in which the seat was now suggested to him. He
somewhat hesitated in the use of the name of the Duchess, leaving an
impression on Mr. Wharton that the offer had in truth come from the
Duke. "Should there be a contest, would you help me?"
"In what way? I could not canvass at Silverbridge, if you mean that."
"I was not thinking of giving you personal trouble."
"I don't know a soul in the place. I shouldn't know that there was
such a place except that it returns a member of Parliament."
"I meant with money, sir."
"To pay the election bills! No; certainly not. Why should I?"
"For Emily's sake."
"I don't think it would do Emily any good, or you either. It would
certainly do me none. It is a kind of luxury that a man should not
attempt to enjoy unless he can afford it easily."
"A luxury!"
"Yes, a luxury; just as much as a four-in-hand coach or a yacht.
Men go into Parliament because it gives them fashion, position, and
power."
"I should go to serve my country."
"Success in your profession I thought you said was your object. Of
course you must do as you please. If you ask me for advice, I advise
you not to try it. But certainly I will not help you with money. That
ass Everett is quarrelling with me at this moment because I won't
give him money to go and stand somewhere."
"Not at Silverbridge!"
"I'm sure I can't say. But don't let me do him an injury. To give him
his due, he is more reasonable than you, and only wants a promise
from me that I will pay electioneering bills for him at the next
general election. I have refused him,--though for reasons which I
need not mention I think him better fitted for Parliament than you.
I must certainly also refuse you. I cannot imagine any circumstances
which would induce me to pay a shilling towards getting you into
Parliament. If you won't drink any more wine, we'll join Emily
upstairs."
This had been very plain speaking, and by no means comfortable to
Lopez. What of personal discourtesy there had been in the lawyer's
words,--and they had not certainly been flattering,--he could throw
off from him as meaning nothing. As he could not afford to quarrel
with his father-in-law, he thought it probable that he might
have to bear a good deal of incivility from the old man. He was
quite prepared to bear it as long as he could see a chance of a
reward;--though, should there be no such chance, he would be ready to
avenge it. But there had been a decision in the present refusal which
made him quite sure that it would be vain to repeat his request. "I
shall find out, sir," he said, "whether it may probably be a costly
affair, and if so I shall give it up. You are rather hard upon me as
to my motives."
"I only repeated what you told me yourself."
"I am quite sure of my own intentions, and know that I need not be
ashamed of them."
"Not if you have plenty of money. It all depends on that. If you have
plenty of money, and your fancy goes that way, it is all very well.
Come, we'll go upstairs."
The next day he saw Everett Wharton, who welcomed him back with warm
affection. "He'll do nothing for me;--nothing at all. I am almost
beginning to doubt whether he'll ever speak to me again."
"Nonsense!"
"I tell you everything, you know," said Everett. "In January I lost
a little money at whist. They got plunging at the club, and I was in
it. I had to tell him, of course. He keeps me so short that I can't
stand any blow without going to him like a school-boy."
"Was it much?"
"No;--to him no more than half-a-crown to you. I had to ask him for a
hundred and fifty."
"He refused it!"
"No;--he didn't do that. Had it been ten times as much, if I owed
the money, he would pay it. But he blew me up, and talked about
gambling,--and--and--"
"I should have taken that as a matter of course."
"But I'm not a gambler. A man now and then may fall into a thing of
that kind, and if he's decently well off and don't do it often, he
can bear it."
"I thought your quarrel had been altogether about Parliament."
"Oh no! He has been always the same about that. He told me that I
was going head foremost to the dogs, and I couldn't stand that. I
shouldn't be surprised if he hasn't lost more at cards than I have
during the last two years." Lopez made an offer to act as go-between,
to effect a reconciliation; but Everett declined the offer. "It would
be making too much of an absurdity," he said. "When he wants to see
me, I suppose he'll send for me."
Lopez did dispatch an agent down to Mr. Sprugeon at Silverbridge,
and the agent found that Mr. Sprugeon was a very discreet man. Mr.
Sprugeon at first knew little or nothing,--seemed hardly to be aware
that there was a member of Parliament for Silverbridge, and declared
himself to be indifferent as to the parliamentary character of the
borough. But at last he melted a little, and by degrees, over a
glass of hot brandy-and-water with the agent at the Palliser Arms,
confessed to a shade of an opinion that the return of Mr. Lopez for
the borough would not be disagreeable to some person or persons who
did not live quite a hundred miles away. The instructions given by
Lopez to his agent were of the most cautious kind. The agent was
merely to feel the ground, make a few inquiries, and do nothing. His
client did not intend to stand unless he could see the way to almost
certain success with very little outlay. But the agent, perhaps
liking the job, did a little outstep his employer's orders. Mr.
Sprugeon, when the frost of his first modesty had been thawed,
introduced the agent to Mr. Sprout, the maker of cork soles, and
Mr. Sprugeon and Mr. Sprout between them had soon decided that
Mr. Ferdinand Lopez should be run for the borough as the "Castle"
candidate. "The Duke won't interfere," said Sprugeon; "and, of
course, the Duke's man of business can't do anything openly;--but
the Duke's people will know." Then Mr. Sprout told the agent that
there was already another candidate in the field, and in a whisper
communicated the gentleman's name. When the agent got back to London,
he gave Lopez to understand that he must certainly put himself
forward. The borough expected him. Sprugeon and Sprout considered
themselves pledged to bring him forward and support him,--on behalf
of the Castle. Sprugeon was quite sure that the Castle influence
was predominant. The Duke's name had never been mentioned at
Silverbridge,--hardly even that of the Duchess. Since the Duke's
declaration "The Castle" had taken the part which the old Duke
used to play. The agent was quite sure that no one could get in
for Silverbridge without having the Castle on his side. No doubt
the Duke's declaration had had the ill effect of bringing up
a competitor, and thus of causing expense. That could not now
be helped. The agent was of opinion that the Duke had had no
alternative. The agent hinted that times were changing, and that
though dukes were still dukes, and could still exercise ducal
influences, they were driven by these changes to act in an altered
form. The proclamation had been especially necessary because the Duke
was Prime Minister. The agent did not think that Mr. Lopez should
be in the least angry with the Duke. Everything would be done that
the Castle could do, and Lopez would be no doubt returned,--though,
unfortunately, not without some expense. How much would it cost? Any
accurate answer to such a question would be impossible, but probably
about £600. It might be £800;--could not possibly be above £1000.
Lopez winced as he heard these sums named, but he did not decline the
contest.
Then the name of the opposition candidate was whispered to Lopez. It
was Arthur Fletcher! Lopez started, and asked some questions as to
Mr. Fletcher's interest in the neighbourhood. The Fletchers were
connected with the De Courcys, and as soon as the declaration of the
Duke had been made known, the De Courcy interest had aroused itself,
and had invited that rising young barrister, Arthur Fletcher, to
stand for the borough on strictly conservative views. Arthur Fletcher
had acceded, and a printed declaration of his purpose and political
principles had been just published. "I have beaten him once," said
Lopez to himself, "and I think I can beat him again."